


Stardust

by Webtrinsic



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, Guilt, Gun Violence, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Original Character(s), Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Stitches, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 06:19:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15943529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Webtrinsic/pseuds/Webtrinsic
Summary: Sometimes a Star Wars reference can save the day.





	Stardust

The teen's eyes watered as he shook his mentor, begging and pleading for the man to wake up. Tony had brought him to the Stark Industries building to pick something up when it'd been attacked. Peter continued to sob, the panic of his mentor unconscious on the floor and his spider-sense tingling like crazy left him in tears.

"Tony, Tony please," he bawled, checking repeatedly for a pulse and carefully inspecting the man's head for injury.  Blood fell from the man's temple from the exploding piece of a chair that'd knocked into his head.  Peter had sustained a tough blow from the other half of the chair, he'd pulled the chunk of wood from his side in a bloody mess. 

Carefully pulling out the splinters as he held to his mentor. Burying his face in the man's throat, waiting for help. Not even realizing his split lip dragged blood along the man’s unconscious skin.

The vigilante tried to keep his hands away from his wound, already silently apologizing for getting blood on his mentor's nice suit. Though that had torn too, maybe he wouldn't mind.  The loud footsteps rushing down the hall gave Peter some hope, until he saw the scopes and his sense purred. Jumping on top of the billionaire's body, Peter protectively held to him. In hopes, they wouldn't hurt the man while he was down.

"Now lookie here, it's exactly the boy I was looking for," The head gunman tusked, gloved hand falling to the back of the boy's neck and pulling him off the man.

"What?" Peter whined, confused as his back hit the man's torso and the gunman's inner elbow held his throat against his chest while aiming his gun at the now waking billionaire.  Squirming in the man's grasp, trying desperately to pull the man's arm away from his throat. Peter watched in horror as Tony's eyelids fluttered and the man's gun poked into Tony's abdomen.

"No, no stop, please," Peter wailed, causing Tony's eyes to shoot open at the sound of his kid's cries.  Peter's spider-sense screamed the second the trigger went off and Tony's eyes bulged in pain as blood began to pool out of the wound.

"No!" Peter screamed, falling into a fit of sobs as he was dragged backward by the gunman. Legs kicking in the air, before regaining the slightest bit of footing to keep the pressure off his throat.  He choked on his breaths, the heels of his feet reeling backward as the man's pace quickened. 

"You shot him," Peter sobbed, reveling in the image of the bullet and the sound that met his ears when he heard Tony’s skin tear while the bullet tore through it.

"Be quiet sweetheart," the man hushed, and Peter only cried harder. Before the man slid his gun into his holster and held his now free hand over his mouth. The boy's ever calculating mind began to focus on the bullet, he'd shot him in the stomach. It'd take longer to kill him there than if it’s been somewhere else. If help gets there on time, he'll live. Another gunman opened the stairwell and started heading up, Peter's eyes widened in confusion. Why up?

The group continued forward, Peter pressing hard against the man holding him in hopes to knock him off balance.

"Easy kid, if we fall you're breaking it," the man warned, as Peter's toes barely hit each step as they made it to the roof where a compact jet lay. He was unceremoniously thrown into a seat while the gunman sat beside him, arm sliding around his shoulders as he unholstered his gun and pressed it against his throat.

"Peter Parker, boy genius," He purred, pulling off the goggles from his deep brown eyes before removing the black bandana away from his mouth.

"You're going to help me break into Stark's technology, SHIELD has some contact with the man that'd I'd quite like, and you can help with that too," He smiled, tracing the boy's jawline with his gun before the barrel carefully wiped the tears off the boy's face.

In an act of defiance, Peter turned his head only for the man's hand to grip on the wound painting his side causing him to squirm in pain. Taking his hand away the man licked his bloodied glove before taking it off. The now gloveless hand moving back to the wound before leaning over the child, probing fingers dancing over the torn flesh, coating them with blood. Smiling as he pulled some leftover splintered wood from the cut which led Peter’s body to buck away.

"Please, stop," Peter begged, squeaking out a noise when the man's fingers forcefully pushed inside the gash.

"You squirm nicely, sweetheart, I'll have to cut you up more a bit later,"  More tears forced their way out of his the teen's eyes, as his hand's fell to push away the man's wrist. But the appendages shook in their effort, unable to thwart the man’s assault.

"Pain's a nice color on you, I'll keep you," The man snarked. Removing his fingers with a smirk, and licking the bloodied digits with delight.   Placing a first aid kit on the boy's lap, he spoke softly, pulling a cigar from his pocket and lighting it with his gloved hand. 

"Patch yourself up sweetheart, we've got a while till we get where we want to be," he huffed, blowing a hint of smoke into the boy's face. His already watering eyes going red as he coughed and opened the kit. Disinfecting the wound, Peter bit his lip to help stifle the sounds of his whimpers as he rubbed the raw skin with rubbing alcohol. The older man who'd neglected to say his name chided him quickly, using his bloodied hand to grasp the boy's bottom lip.

"No need to hold back any noises dear, your pain sounds so pretty,"

Peter continued to patch himself up, shaking hands moving to the sutures. Before the man shook his head as if he were chastising a child. Taking the needle from the boy’s smaller hand and beginning to suture up the cut himself. Peter whined at the tug and punctures of flesh, head falling back against the man's arm in pain.

"Just a little more," he assured, hoping the fun would never end. 

\---

Medics had found and taken the billionaire away before he could ask if Peter was safe and the world went dark once again.

"Where is he?" Tony asked the second his eyes opened. Happy, Rhodey, and Pepper all looked down at the man with sad eyes.

"We don't know," Pepper answered, instantly moving forward to push Tony back down as he tried to push himself up. Pain shooting through him.

"Let go, I need to find him," he gritted out, trying desperately to get out of the damn hospital bed.

"Tony you can't, as far as we know he's alive, and we'll find him," Rhodey the voice of reason spoke, "I'll start looking for him, but until you rest up. You won't be any help to him."

Tony's eyes became hard at the comment, what could he do for Peter here?

\---

The teen crushed himself to the side of the plane, trying to be as out of reach from the man’s draping arm.

“What’s your name?” Peter whispered, his hand protectively covering the bandage over his side. The man’s eyes hadn’t left the spot before they cast themselves up and onto the now dried blood on the boy’s lips.

“My name sweetheart?” He asked again, wanting to coax the voice out of the young man.

“Yeah, what’s your name?” Peter questioned, his stutter creeping up on him.

“I can be whoever you want me to be sweetheart,” The man with the deep brown eyes winked, hoping the boy would continue to question. Continue to show the idle curiosity that showed where his smarts came from.  But Peter fell silent at the comment, hiding his face in his knees as he brought them to his chest. The older man tentatively reached out, wondering if he could try a different approach. Grabbing the boy’s chin with a delicate hand, before removing his hand from the back of the couch and licking his thumb.

Peter’s eyes widened and his legs fell back to the floor, his doe eyes wide as they met the other man’s. Worriedly looking down at the man’s thumb as it gently fell to his lips and rubbed the dried blood away.

“I’m kidding sweetheart, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a little rough, and I don’t mean to be so hard on you. I didn’t mean to scare you, and I didn’t mean to hurt Mr. Stark but so many lives are at stake. You do understand, don’t you Peter?”

Peter’s eyes watered when he remembered his mentor on the floor, holding to his torn open abdomen. The man opened his arms, Peter fell into them without realizing it and sobbed to lost in grief to care who was comforting him.

“I know you’re afraid, but I’ll take care of you,” And with that, Peter fell asleep, cradled in his captor's arms.  Pulling out his phone, he slid his fingers into the boy’s hair and took a photo of the exhausted child that rested against his chest. Sending it to Mr. Stark’s personal phone with the caption:

“It’s funny seeing such a delicate thing following you around as if you hung the moon, is this why you took the poor thing in? Him being so small and fragile, needing constant comfort and protection. Then again you are a superhero, maybe when all the pains of the world start to surround you, you get to protect him and make yourself feel good. But I found a way to take that too, there’s nothing more enticing than having taken something so broken and in need of comfort and then watching them fall straight into the comfort they need, even if it hurts.”

Smiling to himself, he knew it would hurt, but the poor boy wouldn’t be able to run because all it took was one glance and he knew the boy held a deep longing. A longing for a comfort that he’d likely been denied or wouldn’t accept.  It’s only natural to want, to feel cared for, to feel like you’re exactly where you belong when you’d been lost for so long. He couldn’t wait to tear the boy up and then have him come back for more.

\---

Tony’s phone buzzed on the desk, Happy looked over reaching for it to give to his boss when he saw the long message and little photo and the blank space where the phone number should be. 

Rushing over to the medical bay he thrust the phone into his bosses hands. Tony looked up at him bewildered before his eyes went dark as he opened the phone. Able to see the picture better. Peter cradled in someone's arms, his face pale with pink tinges to his cheeks and around his eyes. Tear tracks streaming down his innocent and fearfully exhausted face. The hand in his hair held a small amount of dried blood on the fingertips.

Reading the message only made him angrier, the heart monitors spiked and he could feel the bullet wound sting as his body shook in shock and agony. Furious at not only himself but the man. The man that was holding his kid. The man that had scared Peter so badly and had the nerve to make himself the only thing for the boy to turn too.  He was sure that man was the same one who’d shot him while making the poor boy in his arms watch.

“I’m going to kill him,” The billionaire spoke, voice so unbearably steady Happy couldn’t believe the man had just woken up.

“What do we do now?” Happy asked, looking at his boss.

“I’m going to see if I can trace the device, then I’m going to kill that bastard,” His eyebrows raised in through of what he’d do, wincing as the action moved the cut on his temple. Blood falling from the butterfly bandage on his head, “Then…” forgoing the details of how he’d kill the bastard he continued, “I’m going to bring Peter back here, and fix whatever fucked up dependency he’s trying to break into my kid’s head. Then I’m going to make sure no one ever tries to put their hands on him again.”

Happy believed every word of it and let Tony get to work in trying to figure out how the number was blocked.

“I don’t blame you, Peter,” He whispered, knowing Peter would likely blame himself when this was all over, “I’ll bring you home,”

\---

Being nudged up, Peter looked up at the older man, flinching back when he noticed he was close enough to feel the man’s breath. Standing, the man offered a hand and a smile, Peter hesitantly took the offered appendage knowing it was his only option.

“Cullen, my names Cullen sweetheart,” He finally introduced himself and Peter’s eyes softened. Trust, all he need to do was establish trust and he knew how much to give to do just that.

“What did you mean when you said people would die?” Peter asked. Cullen sighed sadly to entice the child’s interest.

“Hydra had infiltrated shield years ago, they’ve long since been removed thanks to Captain America. But they still hold some documents that could be used to hurt, to kill countless people. If we don’t take them back and destroy them, those plans will be used.”

“But shield wouldn’t-”

“They would, they don’t care about their heroes as long as they get paid. They don’t care who dies, as long as it’s them that gets to go home to their family. I’m sure they know who you are too and if they ever want Stark’s help in something he’s not willing to do. They just might take you from him, I do know they’d stoop so low as if to torture you in front of his very eyes to make him listen,”

Peter curled into himself and Cullen pulled him forward, encasing him in his arms in reassurance. 

“That won’t happen with me sweetheart, now let's go,” Leading the boy out of the jet with an arm around his waist. Fingers sitting idly over the boy’s wounds, but Peter followed him without any resistance. Even if the touch sent shivers up his spine.  Walking in the room and surveying the layout, Cullen gently set him down in a chair. Sliding a tablet into the boy’s lap.

“Now all you have to do is sign in,”

Peter wearily looked at the layout, shaky hands moving to break in. Which he did, knowing there were layers to this kind of thing and he only broke the first barrier.  A warning box coming up to which Peter smiled, hoping to god Tony noticed this. Before he typed a single word.

_Stardust._

“I got in,” he whispered, handing the man the tablet. Knowing the first layer could only get them Stark records on his buildings layouts and such.

“Good job sweetheart,” Cullen smiled, running a hand through his hair, slowly bringing his hand down to hold the boy’s cheek.  Peter leaned away at this, only for a hard slap to meet his cheek.

“Sweetheart, this will only work as long as you trust me,” Cullen reiterated, thumb sweeping over the pink mark.

“Okay,”

——

Tony’s head tilted as he saw a new access to his work, a grin spreading across his face at the utter genius of Peter Parker.

“Stardust,” he chuckled fondly, a new hope in bringing the boy home igniting in his chest.

Of course, Peter would reference the Star Wars movie he’d taken Peter to see. And of course, it was the name of the very file they needed to blow up the Death Star and save the rebellion. But today that code would save him.  Groaning and pulling himself up from the bed, he called for his suit. Which obediently came even to the protest of Pepper, Rhodey and Happy who crowded in to stop the suit.

It melted to his skin before they could protest and Tony blasted off, checking the location midair and following the flight path.

—-

“This isn’t enough sweetheart,” Cullen sighed, having looked through the files and finding nothing.

“But I…” before Peter could finish the bandage on his side was being yanked off and Cullen’s hand reached and tore the stitches away from his skin.  A strangled gasp passed the boy’s lips before he cried, his head falling forward as he shook his head.

He didn’t want to betray Tony.

Cullen cupped the boy’s face with his bloodied hand again, “I can stitch you up again when you find what I’m looking for. You know this is what’s best, and I will always do what’s best for you,” He offered more dependence and the quiver in the boy’s lips was enough to see if he tried hard enough he’d likely give. The man hit the wall before he could continue, Peter’s head shooting up to see the levitating red and gold armor just a few feet away.

Tony’s nostrils flared at the sight, Peter’s cheek tinged pink with a handprint with the same bloodied print overlapping it. While blood clotted against the boy’s side, his shirt sticking to whatever wound was beneath.

His eyes were lost in a way to which Tony dropped to the ground and knelt to the boy’s height, pulling him into his arms with strong robotic arms. Before they slid to cup his face, not in the faux pas way the man had. But with real comfort and concern, as the suits thumb wiped at the blood. Peter sniffled, eyes filling up with tears that slowly fell into Tony's hands that proceeded to wipe those away too.

“I’m sorry,” Peter apologized for being weak, for letting the man hurt Tony, for giving in.

“You did nothing wrong Stardust,” Tony assured, tears in his own eyes as the helmet on his head retracted.  Peter’s lips came together in a shy smile then, causing Tony to laugh. Their foreheads touching as they basked in one another’s warmth.  Looking down Tony frowned at the sight of more gushing blood on the boy’s shirt, a hand falling from the boy’s face to carefully lift the shirt and look at the wound.

He gulped at the sight, gentle fingertips running over the raw edges that still held to sutures. 

Peter shivered at the touch, backing away from his mentor and Tony instantly let go. Understanding, realizing just what that bastard had done.

“C’mon Peter, let's get you patched up and I promise you can sleep for the whole week,”

Appeased, Peter nodded,  moving and sliding his head under Tony’s chin. The billionaire adjusted the boy in his arms, an evil glare being sent towards the man who lay unconscious on the floor. Though his eyes began to flutter as he woke.

“Put your hands on my son again and you won’t be alive much longer,”  Peter’s heart fluttered at the statement, not in fear but in a feeling he couldn’t quite comprehend. Almost as if he was finally where he was meant to be.


End file.
